Some parents believe that if their teen drinks under their supervision, then it is okay for them to drink. However, this is not the case. The teenage brain and body are not fully developed and alcohol can stunt their growth, both physically and mentally. So, if you discover your troubled teen is drinking, it is important that you put an end to their underage drinking.
Ways To Start Talking About Alcohol Abuse With Your Teen
If your teen is already engaging in alcohol abuse, it can be difficult to open up the conversation, as some teens can be very defensive when it comes to their drinking.
Use current events story – Unfortunately, there are many current events stories on teens and underage drinking, especially teens who have died while drunk driving. You can mention the story to your teen and use it as a conversation starter.
Bring up alcohol awareness month – April is alcohol awareness month and that can be used to help start a conversation about alcohol abuse with your teenager.
Ask them what their friends think – By starting the conversation by talking about their friends, you can guide the conversation on how their friends feel about alcohol and underage drinking.
How To Help Prevent Your Teen’s Drinking
There are ways to help prevent your troubled teen from engaging in underage drinking. If your teen already has a history of alcohol abuse, it is important to start implementing some measures.
Create clear rules and consequences – It’s important for teens to know where their boundaries lie as well as being clear on any consequences for rule-breaking. With these in place, your teen will not be able to pretend that they didn’t know drinking was off-limits.
Know where your teen is at all times – When your teen is outside of your home after having a history of alcohol abuse, it is best if you are aware of where they are at all times. This can help prevent a repeat of your teen’s drinking.
Refuse to enable underage drinking – Some parents feel that if they drank in their teens that it is hypocritical to stop their teens from drinking. However, as more research comes out against teen drinking, it is clear that parents should do their best to not enable underage drinking.
Keep your alcohol locked up – If you have alcohol of your own in the home, keep it secured in a locked cabinet. This will help keep your teen and any of their friends out of your alcohol.
Develop code phrases – To keep your teen out of a tough situation, develop a code phrase for them to use to signal that there is drinking going on and they need to leave. It will allow them to save face with their peers, which is important for a sensitive teen, while still removing your teen from the bad situation.
Sundance Canyon Academy has helped many troubled teen boys overcome a variety of struggles, from anger management to substance abuse recovery. Our specialized staff can help your son overcome not only his drinking but also the root of what caused the drinking. Contact us today to see if your son is a good fit for our program.